The Things We Do
by Sugarbubbleslove
Summary: It was the one thing he couldn't help her with, but he would be damned if he stood to the side and let her suffer alone. Alicia is on hand to help him out.


Title: The Things We Do

Characters: Mark/Maddy, Alicia

Rating: Teen

Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Terra Nova. Fox owns Terra Nova and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: It was the one thing he couldn't help her with, but he would be damned if he stood to the side and let her suffer alone. Alicia is on hand to help him out.

Timeline: Future Fic – no spoilers really

A/N: Er…enjoy? Betaed by me only, all mistakes are mine.

The Things We Do

Mark Reynolds sighed as he rested his hands upon the railing, looking down at the marketplace from where he was stationed at the command tower. His blue eyes spotted Maddy Shannon weaving among the citizens as she shopped.

His eyes narrowed when he caught the brief grimace that crossed Maddy's face for half a second before it faded. For a brief moment, he wondered if he had imagined it, it had come and gone so fast that he couldn't even be sure that it had been real.

He tried to remember if Maddy had hurt herself in the last few days but he came up empty. He had been with her for the last few days because it had been his leave and Maddy had been given the time off as well. Now that he thought about it, Alicia and Malcolm, Maddy's newest boss, had both been smirking when they gave him and Maddy their days off.

There it was again, the grimace. He watched as she stopped briefly in place, breathing through whatever pain that was disturbing her before she returned to normal, continuing on with the shopping.

He wanted to go down and talk to her, to find out what was bothering her. It hurt him to see her in pain. He could barely cope with it whenever she was sad or upset, seeing her in pain was enough to break him.

He broke out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps, turning to see Lieutenant Alicia Washington stopping next to him, resting a hand on the railing.

"What are you looking at?" Alicia asked, her brown eyes scanning the ground before she spotted the object of Mark's interest and a knowing smile came to her. "Oh." Mark flushed, knowing he had been caught out, especially when Alicia turned to face him, an eyebrow arched. "You know you are supposed to be keeping an eye on the outpost for any signals…right?" Mark sighed.

"Yes," he admitted and she nodded.

"So do you want to tell me why the lovely Miss Shannon has caught your eyes?" she inquired. Mark grimaced, not really wanting to tell her in case he sounded stalker-ish. Memorising a girl's facial expression was stalker-ish, wasn't it? "Reynolds," the warning tone came from the older woman and he sighed.

"She's in pain," Mark hurried out. Alicia's curious look turned to one of alarm as she looked back at the younger girl, searching for any sign of injuries that could be causing her pain. As far as she knew, Maddy hadn't been in any dangerous situation nor has she been admitted to the hospital for any injuries.

She frowned when her scans came up empty, looking at Mark once more. "I don't see any injuries," she told him and mark nodded.

"I know…but she keeps grimacing," Mark admitted before he spotted the look on his…well, he didn't really know what to call her…his girlfriend? That brought a small goofy smile to his lips before it faded as concern took over once more. "There it is." Alicia looked and saw what Mark had been talking about before understanding dawned on her, especially when her sharp eyes picked up on Maddy massaging her lower stomach during the grimace before she would drop her hand as the pain passed for the moment.

She looked at Mark, biting her lower lip when she saw the young man was staring at Maddy with concern written on his face and she sighed. Mark didn't have any family, unless you counted her practically adopting him the moment she saw him. But Mark had never lived with her so he didn't really know of those types of problems only a woman would have.

"Mark, how long have you and Maddy been dating?" Alicia asked.

"Four months, we've known each other for six," Mark absently replied, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the older woman, impressed that he remembered.

"Have you not notice that kind of look of pain on her face before?" Alicia slowly asked, trying to give him the clue without coming outright to say it. She didn't need to admit him to the hospital because he had choked on his own breath.

Mark frowned as he thought back to all the times he had spent with Maddy, which was a lot. He frowned as a memory niggled at him and he realised that he had seen that look on her face before. They had gone for a walk one night, enjoying the cool air.

Her arm was interlocked with his and her head was resting on his shoulder when he heard her take a sharp intake of breath. He looked down at her, concerned but she just brushed it off with a light blush on her cheeks. He hadn't pressed her because he didn't want to spook her.

"What does it mean?" he found himself asking as he turned to look at the older woman, who was looking slightly pink. He frowned, not sure what to make of it.

Alicia sighed, her hand rubbing her forehead as she closed her eyes, grimacing slightly before she steeled herself, straightening her back and looking at Mark straight in the eye.

"There are certain things a girl go through once a month…" she slowly said. She could see confusion settling his face before slow comprehension dawned on him and he flushed brilliantly. She just sighed with relief that she wouldn't need to spell it out any further.

Taylor was right when he said he picked Reynolds for his brains rather than brawn. She just wished she could say the same for the other soldiers.

"What can I do?" she was startled to hear that come from Mark's lips and found he was staring at her imploring.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"There has to be something I can do to help her," he told her. Alicia smiled at the desperation that was clear on his face.

"Mark, this isn't something you can heal or fix. Every woman goes through this once a month," she tried to explain.

"But there has to be something I can do to ease the pain," he told her, stubbornly. Alicia sighed before she nodded.

"Okay, chocolate helps most of us through it, we tend to have a craving for sweet things," Alicia told him, watching as Mark nodded, mentally committing it to memory. "A heating pad can help with the pain. We tend to be a bit…bitchy, so don't take offence if we suddenly bite your head off for something that's seemed minor." Mark bit his bottom lip to prevent his laugher from escaping. He knew very well of her bitchiness but he had never associated it with her time.

He cleared his throat when she suddenly glared at him, giving her a sharp nod to let her know he was listening.

"You should go to her," Alicia decided. Mark stared at her and she smirked. "Mark, you're not going to be able to keep your mind on the job while being worried about Maddy. Since your shift is nearly finished, go. I'll take over. I need to talk to Taylor anyway."

Mark nodded, giving her a quick hug of thanks before he quickly strode away, leaving a stunned woman behind before she smiled, shaking her head.

~_TTWD_~

Maddy winced as the pain rocked through her stomach once more and she sighed, pushing back a strand of hair that fell out of the bun, she looked through the fruits for the family. Most of the time, it didn't bother her, but there had been occasions when the pain was worse than usual.

All she could do was keep breathing through it and hope that the pain would ease up by the night came. She was lost in her thoughts and browsing through the food that she missed the footsteps coming up behind her.

"Hello, Miss Shannon," a voice greeted. Maddy spun around, startled before she spotted him.

"Mark," Maddy gasped before she gave him a smile. Mark gave her one back. Maddy narrowed her in eyes in suspicion when she noticed that his hands were behind his back. Mark just gave her an amused look as she arched an eyebrow. "Do you have something behind your back, Mister Reynolds?" she asked.

"Maybe," he teased her, his lips twitching as he tried to keep his expression neutral. Maddy crossed her arms as she watched him, her heart growing warm at the sight of him being playful. She loved moments like this.

"Maybe, huh?" she teased as she stepped closer. He nodded, his eyes dropping down to her lips as she licked her bottom one before she took it between her teeth, giving him a sweet smile. Mark felt his willpower crumble as he gaze into those pleading eyes of hers.

He groaned, taking a step back so he wouldn't be sucked under their hypnotic gaze, glaring at her playfully. She just smiled innocently and he narrowed his eyes before he shook his head, chuckling as he brought his hand round to show her what he had hidden.

"Chocolate?" she asked, stunned as she looked up at him. "Where did you find that?" Mark just smiled mysteriously and she huffed, rolling her eyes but she couldn't stop the smile from gracing her face as she reached out to take the bar.

"Ah," he pulled his hand back, causing her to look up at him in confusion. "I'll give it to you on two conditions." An amused smile curled Maddy's lips.

"Oh really," she arched an eyebrow, "and what conditions would those be, Mister Reynolds?" she asked. Mark grinned.

"One, that you have dinner with me tonight, I'll cook," he bribed. Maddy giggled as she nodded.

"Okay…" she narrowed her eyes, "And the second?" Mark's smile turned devilish.

"A kiss," he told her. She giggled as a light blush crossed her cheeks before her eyes widen as they darted around them before looking into his blue ones.

"What? Here?" she asked. Mark noticed she didn't sound horrified at the thought.

"Why not?" he challenged, inwardly smirking when he saw an eyebrow arch at the challenge. That was his girl, she was never the one to back down from a challenge and he liked that, picking minor play-arguments with her just so he could see that fiery look in her eyes.

She moved in closer, her body brushing up against his. He bent slightly at the waist, his nose brushing against hers before she tipped her head back, allowing their lips to meet. He kissed her bottom lip first before he moved up to her top lip. She parted her lips for him.

He felt her sigh into his mouth, her hands sliding up his chest before rounding his shoulders and one hand sliding into his hair. She liked to play with his hair, something he found out quite early into their relationship when they had progressed to kissing.

His own hands weren't idle, sliding around her waist, one resting over the small of her back and the other following her spine until he reached those thick brown curls he loved to play with. She moaned, pushing herself up on her tip-toes, pressing her body against his.

They parted briefly to breathe before they met again; needing each other like they needed air. Mark vaguely remembered that they were in public and slowed their kisses down. Maddy seemed to get the message, her hands sliding back to his shoulders as she fell back onto her feet.

A wolf whistle broke into their moment and they separated to see Skye was standing on the other side of the market with a brilliant smile on her face before she gave them a cheeky wave, dragging the traumatized Josh with her as he stared at his sister with a horrified expression.

Maddy giggled, burying her face into Mark's chest while Mark chuckled.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked. Maddy shrugged as she pulled her face away from his chest to look up at him with a smirk.

"If he complains to my father, you can explain it to him," Maddy told him. Mark blanched at the thought of Jim glowering at him and Maddy laughed, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry; I'll make sure you'll get a head start on running."

"Just because your father is like a teddy bear to you, it doesn't mean he's a teddy bear to the rest of us," Mark told her. Maddy just rolled her eyes. Mark brought the bar of chocolate in between them and she took it with a smile. "I'll see you tonight," he told her, brushing his nose against hers before he pulled away and walked off. Maddy watched him go with a brilliant smile, her fingers touching her bottom lip and her free hand clutched around the bar of chocolate.

She couldn't wait for tonight.

~_TTWD_~

Alicia stopped by Mark's place to see him setting the table. She arched an eyebrow in amusement when she noticed him fussing with the collar of his shirt.

"You look fine," she assured him, causing him to jump, spinning around in place to face her, his hand automatically going for the weapon that was usually at his hip but was missing tonight. "At least you still have your instincts," she told him.

"Alicia!" he hissed, giving her a brief glare before frowning. "Why are you here?"

"Relax; I just came by to check up on you. Have you spoken to Maddy yet?"

"Er…not exactly," he muttered. Alicia frowned.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"I gave her a bar of chocolate and invited her to dinner," he told her. Alicia stared at him for a moment before she smirked.

"Are you even going to tell the girl you know or are you just going to leave hints?" she asked him.

"Would it be okay for me to let her know? I don't want to upset her or anything like that," Mark told her. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, I have a feeling she won't be upset," she assured him before she looked at her watch. "And I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Mark nodded, watching her leave the house before he turned back to the cooker.

Alicia smiled when she saw Maddy coming toward her dressed in a simple black summer dress with a pink top underneath. It suited her perfectly.

"Afternoon Miss Shannon," Alicia told her, nodding slightly in the girl's direction. Maddy smiled at the woman who Mark had claimed as a sister.

"Afternoon Lieutenant Washington," Maddy greeted in return. Alicia's lips twitched in amusement as she jerked her head in the direction of the house she just came out.

"He's in there, just go in," she winked at the younger woman, continuing on. Maddy watched her leave before she entered the house, knocking on the door as she did.

Mark poked his around the wall between the hallway and kitchen and smiled when he saw her. She smiled back, closing the door as she did before she walked over to him. Mark had turned back to the cooker.

"Smells good, what are we having?" she greeted him with a kiss to his cheek before looking and arched an eyebrow. "Did you get the recipe from my mom?" Mark nodded, ushering her over to the table. She sat down, watching as he filled out the plate with her favourite dinner.

He placed the plate in front of her before sitting across, placing his own plate in front of him. He watched as she took a mouthful.

"Is it ok?" she nodded.

"This is amazing," she pinned him with a curious suspicious look. "Just when did you see my mother to get this?" Mark gave her a mysterious smile and she rolled her eyes in amused. "Fine, keep your secrets." Mark just grinned as continued to eat, talking about their day.

Soon they were finished. Mark stood up, walking over to the fridge so he could pull out a surprise he hid for Maddy.

"Dessert," he brought forward a bowl of a chocolate like mousse type dessert. He placed it in front of her and she smiled in surprised as she picked up the spoon.

"More chocolate?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Just for you," he told her with a shrug. "I was lucky to find them." He picked up the plates, taking them over to the sink.

"Have you been hiding a secret stash of chocolate somewhere?" she teased him, taking a bite of the dessert, almost moaning in pleasure as the chocolate helped to ease some of the stress of her day.

"No," Mark laughed as he looked over his shoulder at Maddy still eating her dessert. "I was able to get some chocolate today. Pretty lucky I guess." He turned back to the dishes.

"Hmm, you keep spoiling me like this; I just might have to keep you around."

"I don't have a problem with that," he told her. Maddy giggled as she finished off her dessert, getting up and taking the bowl over to the sink. Mark took it, putting it into the sink.

"Do you want me to dry?" she reached for the dishtowel but Mark stopped her, shaking his head.

"It's okay. I'm just going to let them dry. Go into the living room. I have a movie set up," he assured her. She eyed him for a moment longer before she nodded, giving him a brief kiss before leaving.

She got settled down on the couch, pulling the blanket that Mark kept on the back of the couch over her. She was about to relax when she heard Mark call out. "Do you want some hot chocolate?" Maddy had a confused amused look on her face.

"You have hot chocolate?" she called back.

"I can make some," he told her.

"Sure, okay," she got comfortable, curious to what with all the chocolate Mark had been getting. He wasn't a big fan of chocolate.

A few clattering and muttered curses later, Mark finally came out with a mug steaming gently. He also had a pad in his other hand, giving her a sheepish grin as she looked at him in concerned. He gave her the cup, being careful not to spill it.

"Here, just in case you get cold," he handed her the heating pad. Maddy took it, frowning at it before she looked at Mark as he sat down next to her, getting settled on the couch. He slung an arm over her shoulders. Maddy placed the cup on the coffee table.

"We have a blanket," she told him. Mark nodded, still staring at the T.V.

"I know, but you get colder than me," he told her. She narrowed her eyes at him when she spotted a faint blush on his cheeks. She thought back, remembering the bar of chocolate he gave her while she was shopping. He even had more chocolate for dessert, he didn't usually have chocolate.

She sat up as it began to link together in her mind. Startled, Mark turned his head to look at her, wondering what was wrong. She turned to face him.

"The chocolate, the heating pad…" she listed off as she stared up at him, her cheeks flushing. Mark cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "How…?"

"Alicia," he admitted. "I was watching you from the command tower and I noticed that you seemed to be in pain. I pointed it out to Alicia and she hinted that it was something a woman goes through every month."

"But…" she started, confused.

"I asked for some pointers on how to help you through it," he finished, blushing. Maddy stared at him for a long moment before a small smile curled her lips.

"So you found me chocolate and got me a heating pad just to help me out?" she asked. Mark was beginning to feel like he was back at that time where he had declared his intentions for Maddy. The look on her face was very similar to the reaction he got.

"Yes," he gave her a short nod. She giggled, biting her lower lip before she cupped his face, pulling him in and gave him a sweet kiss that left him breathless.

"You, Mister Reynolds, are very sweet," she told him with a blinding smile. Mark just gave her one in return, relieved that she wasn't upset. She settled back into his arms and he kissed the top of her head as they returned to the movie.

The End


End file.
